§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what procedure will be adopted for appointment of members to the local learning and skills councils; and if such appointments will be subject to local advertisement and consultation. [115008]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 16 March 2000]: Members of the local Learning and Skills Councils will be appointed on merit and in accordance with the seven principles of public appointments of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). All posts will be advertised in the appropriate local press.
§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the reasons which underlie the revision of the timetable for appointments to the Learning and Skills Council as explained in a letter to the hon. Member for Daventry from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary dated 13 March. [115010]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 16 March 2000]: The Learning and Skills Council Bill was published in the House of Lords on 16 December. When we published the Learning and Skills Council Prospectus, we had anticipated that the Bill would be published first in the House of Commons. We have revised the timetable for appointments to reflect the changed circumstances. I wrote to the hon. Member with details on 13 March.
§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what arrangements will be made for the continuation of local Education-Business Partnerships and partnerships with other public education providers and local authorities when TECs are replaced by local learning and skills councils. [115007]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 16 March 2000]: From April 2001 Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs) will be responsible for ensuring effective systems are in place to foster links between education and business, including the maintenance of an effective network of Education Business Partnerships and other education business link organisations. My Department has published a consultation document about how best to achieve this under the Learning and Skills Councils.
The network of local Learning Partnerships—which involve colleges, local authorities, schools and a wide range of others—will have a crucial role to play alongside local LSCs. The two bodies will work closely together to identify the key actions needed to continue to improve provision in local areas with Learning Partnerships perfectly placed to provide the necessary in-depth understanding of local needs. I am making available £10 million to Learning Partnerships in each of the next two years to help them fulfil this vital role.